About us:
The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has a three-part mission to conduct interdisciplinary research in coastal ocean and estuarine science, educate students and citizens, and provide advisory service to policy makers, industry, and the public. VIMS' tripartite mission is mandated in the Code of Virginia.

Chartered in 1940, VIMS is currently among the largest marine research and education centers in the United States. The School of Marine Science (SMS) at VIMS is the graduate school in marine science for the College of William & Mary. Currently there are 56 teaching faculty and 111 graduate students. About half of the students are working on Masters theses and half on doctoral degrees. International students make up 12% of the student body.

The main VIMS campus is located in Gloucester Point, VA, at the mouth of the York River, a major tributary and passageway to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. The Eastern Shore Laboratory, in Wachapreague, VA, offers access to embayments, salt marshes, and barrier beaches. A third campus, the Kauffman Aquaculture Center on the Rappahannock River, provides access to a low-salinity environment.

Approximately 500 faculty, staff, and students are engaged in marine science activities at the Institute. The Institute is recognized worldwide for its expertise in coastal marine science. VIMS faculty includes representatives from numerous subdisciplines such as biological, chemical, and physical oceanography; ecology; genetics; immunology; toxicology; wetlands science; aquatic disease; and computational modeling.